Born and raised in Taos, Angelica comes from the Martinez y Godoy family, who trace their roots in Taos to the 1500s. Married to Manuel Rudy Pacheco, Angelica worked as a Language Arts teacher and Department Chair at the Taos Pueblo for almost 29 years. She retired in 1990 after teaching grades 3-8, designing curriculum, selecting textbooks, and organizing plays and contests in this year-round job. At the same time, Angelica raised five children: Stephanie, a computer analyst; Marguerite, a retired engineer; Manuel, a banker; Pat, BLM manager; and Juan, Battalion Chief at Los Alamos

After her retirement, Angelica and her husband set up and ran a ranch and hay farm in southern Colorado. This work led to Rudy and Angelica’s development of People for the West, a group dedicated to representing and informing western ranchers of government policies and trends affecting them. Along with Rudy, Angelica traveled all over New Mexico to meet with ranchers and learn about their lives and concerns. In addition, Angelica worked with her husband for the Agency for International Development. Rudy and Angelica hosted visitors from Latin America to help them learn about American government and New Mexico culture.

Angelica is a member of the Taos County HUD Board and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, where she has taught catechism classes. She has traveled all over the US and Canada with her family. She joined the Holy Cross Hospital Foundation in 2004. While being treated in Holy Cross Hospital, she heard about the millions of dollars of free care the hospital provides and the large number of uninsured people in Taos. When she was invited to join the Board, she jumped at the chance. Angelica invites you to explore the programs and activities of Holy Cross Hospital Foundation.